A new 3-year Basic Agreement is reached between players and owners… Among the provisions of the agreement are a $15‚000 minimum salary‚ salary arbitration‚ and the “10 and 5” trade rule‚ which permits a player with 10 years in the ML‚ the last 5 of which are with his current team‚ to veto any trade involving him.

Allen’s rookie season reflected the same sort of promise of a great career as Ryan Howard’s rookie season did in 2005. But Howard hit his 22 homers with a .286 BA in 88 games where Allen’s 29 homers, 104 RBIs, 201 hits and .318 BA were full season stats. Although he committed 41 errors at 3rd base, having never played there previous to arriving in the big leagues, Allen wooed the baseball writers with his stats and was voted 1964’s NL Rookie of the Year.

While Howard also won rookie of the year honors in 2005 season, he also went on to garner a wall full of awards for his 58 homer, 149 RBI, .313 BA 2006 season which, by comparison, blew away Allen’s second season. Further, it took Allen 4 1/2 seasons to duplicate Howard’s 129 homers accomplished in less than 3 full seasons.

Although Allen would put together impressive numbers in 1965 before really blossoming for the Phils with a 40 homer, 110 RBI, .317 BA season in 1966, his off-field turmoil eventually spilled over onto the field.

A glimpse at the future disruptiveness which would dog Allen throughout his career was seen a year later in 1965 in his run-ins with veteran journeyman utility player Frank Thomas who was near the end of a 16 year career. Thomas, who packed some thump in his bat throughout his career, provided some clutch pinch homers for the Phils after his acquisition late in the 1964 season. But perhaps the turbulence that marked Allen’s career was rooted in his minor league experiences with the Phillies affiliate club in Little Rock, Arkansas.

His career got off to a turbulent start as he faced racial harassment while playing for the Phillies’ minor league affiliate in Little Rock; residents staged protest parades against Allen, the local team’s first black player. Nevertheless, he led the league in total bases.

My recollection is that the run-ins occured when Allen took issue with alleged “racist” comments made by Thomas.

Wikipedia goes on to record some of Allen’s scrapes through his years with the Phillies;

He quickly wore out his welcome due to erratic behavior. He got in a fistfight with the popular Phillie Frank Thomas in July 1965, gashed his throwing hand by pushing it through a car headlight on August 24, 1967, and earned a 26-game suspension in June 1969 after being stopped by police for erratic driving, and showing up late to a doubleheader; he also began drinking heavily.

Even Allen’s name was a source of controversy: he had been known since his youth as “Dick” to family and friends, but for reasons which are somewhat obscure at this late date, the media referred to him upon his arrival in Philadelphia as “Richie,” possibly a conflation with the longtime Phillies star Richie Ashburn. After several years, he asked to be called “Dick,” saying Richie was a little boy’s name.

The Phillies’ Boo Bird fans, known for being tough on hometown players even in the best of times, exacerbated Allen’s problems. Initially the abuse was verbal, with obscenities and racial epithets. Eventually Allen was greeted with showers of fruit, ice, refuse, and even flashlight batteries as he took the field. He began wearing his batting helmet even while playing his defensive position in the field, which gave rise to another nickname, “Crash Helmet”, shortened to “Crash”.

One of Dick Allen’s most infuriating moments to fans was on June 24, 1969. Allen was fined $2,500 and suspended indefinitely when he failed to appear for the Phillies twi-night doubleheader game with the Mets. Allen had gone to New Jersey in the morning to see a horse race and got caught in traffic trying to return.

When the Phillies had finally had enough of Allen’s antics, they traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals before the 1970 season. But even that deal was wrapped in controversy, although not of Allen’s doing.

The Phillies had traded him to St. Louis in exchange for outfielder Curt Flood who wanted no part of playing in Philadelphia.

Flood, it turned out, sat out the 1970 season before signing with the Washington Senators where he played 13 games before retiring. The Phillies, who sought Flood, were given young outfielder Willie Montanez instead.

Meanwhile Allen had a productive 1970 season of 34 HRs, 101 RBIs and .279 with the Cardinals. But in 1971, he was traded to the Dodgers and then to the White Sox where he played from 1972 through 1974.

In 1972, after Allen clubbed a White Sox club record and league-leading 34 HRs with a .316 BA, he reached the pinnacle of his career, winning the AL MVP award. In 1973 after receiving the 3 year deal from the White Sox, Allen broke his leg in a base-running collision at the end of June and missed the rest of the season. In 1974, he came back with 32 HRs and a .301 BA but quit the team, without giving a reason, in mid-September.

Former Phillies great centerfielder, Richie Ashburn, now doing play-by-play announcing for the team, coaxed Allen out of retirement to rejoin the Phils. But Allen had 2 disappointing seasons with the club.

Allen’s career came to an end in Philadelphia at the conclusion of the 1976 regular season in which the Phillies won the NL East championship. He jumped the club over their decision not to include veteran 2nd baseman Tony Taylor on their post-season roster for the upcoming NLCS with the Cincinnati Reds. Taylor had been a 2nd base fixture and a rock of consistency in the Phillies infield throughout all of the lean last-place finishes of the 1960s.

Allen may have had a point regarding loyalty to a player, but the Phils had to do what was best for the club and Taylor was an aging player visibly at the end of his career. And after the litany of all of his previous tumult, this was just the topping on a very tasteless cake.

In Thursday’s spring training action, 1st baseman Ryan Howard pounded a 3-run homer in the 3rd inning, 2nd baseman Chase Utley had 2 hits, but it wasn’t near enough as two of the Phillies’ young arms Joe Savery and Josh Outman were pounded for 9 runs squandering a 5-1 3rd inning lead as the Phils were clubbed 11-6 by Pittsburgh. 2nd year pitcher Kyle Kendrick started and pitched 1 run, 3 hit ball over 3 innings, only giving up a solo shot to Pirates 1st baseman Adam LaRouch in the 2nd inning.

When you spoke about “Lefty” during the past 4 decades, if you weren’t talking about political leftists, then you were undoubtedly a baseball fan. And if so, by mentioning the nickname ”Lefty”, it was universally known by baseball fans that you were talking about Steve Carlton.

Carlton got his start in Major League Baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1965. He posted four fine seasons with the Cards including a 17-11 mark in 1969 and a 20-9 mark in 1971.

Lefty had his own unique training regiment utilizing martial arts and other techniques. But in the process, his training regiment enabled longevity in the game without the the various arm, shoulder, back and leg ills of today’s pitchers.

Nearly two years ago, I wrote about the trade which brought Carlton to the Phillies in exchange for another pretty fair pitcher in Rick Wise. The 36th anniversary of that deal was marked by Baseball Library two days ago, on Monday, February 25.

In Carlton’s first season with the Phils, he miraculously won 27 games for a team that totally won only 59. he subsequently led the Phillies to East division championships in 1976,1977 and 1978 as well as to the NL Pennant and their first and only World Series championship in 1980 when they defeated the Kansas City Royals by 4 games to 2 with Carlton winning 2 of the games.

In 1981, Lefty was once again primed to win 20 games, but as a result of the players’ strike, the season was abbreviated and most teams played only 107 games. Carlton went 13-4 with 2.42 ERA giving up a mere 9 homers as the Phils went to post-season before losing the split-season formula playoff to the Montreal Expos.

Possessing nasty stuff, Lefty was a strikeout pitcher garnering 4,000 Ks with only Clemens (4,167) and Nolan Ryan (5,714) ringing up more. Carlton holds the all-time career strikeout total for lefthanders.

Carlton was consistently brilliant until 1985 when his career entered it’s twi-light years. However, he was stubborn and thought that he still had his stuff and his conditioning. But he finally retired 4 years later, having pitched for 5 teams during that period registering but 16 wins and 37 losses and an ERA that exploded to 6.70 and 16.76 in his final two seasons.

In baseball today, the Phillies started Spring Training off on the right foot knocking off the Cincinnati Reds by an 8-1 score behind a 7 run 5th inning. The Phils garnered 12 hits, including 2 hits by newcomer 3rd baseman Pedro Feliz. while the Reds garnered but 5 hits. Veteran 45 year old lefthander Jamie Moyer started, pitched 3 scoreless innings allowing only 1 hit while striking out 3 and knotched the win. Greg Dobbs pounded a 3 run homer amidst the 7 run 5th. The Phils play the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday and Monday.

The reliever, a righty, had surgery to repair torn cartilage in early October. Midway through last season, a biting pain developed in the knee he uses to push off the mound while delivering to the plate. An MRI revealed that the cartilage had torn in two and fallen out of place.

Nevertheless, Lidge pitched his best after the injury developed, converting 19 of the 24 save opportunities he had after spending a month on the DL from mid-June to mid-July.

Speaking in the clubhouse after working out yesterday morning, Lidge deemed the knee ready to go. He has been throwing off the mound since January. If the season started today, he said, he would be healthy enough to pitch.

This report was written nearly a month after the Phillies announced Lidge’s signing of a 1 year deal worth $6.35 million, a $1 million raise over last season.

Are we to believe that there is no rehab necessary after this latest knee surgery? Frankly, despite the predictable Phillies minimization of the injury and projected three to six week recovery time, the reality of things seems to be, don’t look for Lidge before at least May 1. How can anyone project that Lidge could be ready by Opening Day 4 1/2 weeks from now?

Why was Brett Myers rushed back into the starting rotation? This blog commented on that very point with concern about the status of the knee in its report on the trade for Lidge back in November.

Are there flaws in pitching coach Rich Dubee’s training and exercise regiments or his coaching? I have wondered this since last season when two starting pitchers (excluding Freddy Garcia — damaged goods from jumpstreet) plus Ryan Madson, Myers, Tom Gordon and Scott Mathieson (2006) all went down.

Or are there severe, dangerous flaws on the mound in Clearwater which the Phils have as yet not rectified? Or could it be both of the above?

And so, Heaven help them; Gordon’s projected as Opening Day closer with Myers back in the starting rotation.

On Wednesday, salary arbitrators awarded Phillies 1st baseman Ryan Howard the $10 million he had asked for the 2008 season vs the Phillies offer of $7 million.

The award stands as a landmark decision in the history of MLB salary arbitration proceedings.

Howard, the powerful lefthanded hitting slugger who has pounded out the fastest 129 homers in MLB history and has driven in 353 runs in 2 1/2 seasons in the big leagues, will watch his bank account soar as he continues terrorizing opponents’ pitching with well-struck drives going ballpark to all fields.

Howard batted .268 with 47 homers and 136 RBIs last season in what was considered a down year for him. In 2006 he had 58 homers, 149 RBIs and a .313 average, one of the best seasons by a second-year player.

The 28-year-old first baseman has less than three years service time in the majors, partly because his path was blocked by Jim Thome. An injury to Thome during the 2005 season paved the way for Howard, who had 22 homers and 63 RBIs in just 88 games to win the NL Rookie of the Year award.

The case was decided by [Stephen] Goldberg, Robert Bailey and Jack Clarke. The panel listened for nearly five hours as each side presented its arguments Wednesday in St. Petersburg.

Howard was represented by his agent, Casey Close. Houston Astros president Tal Smith, who represents many teams, handled the Phillies’ side.

Howard’s 58 homers in 2006 set an MLB record for a 2nd year player. The previous record was held by Ralph Kiner who hit 51 homers for the otherwise woeful Pittsburgh Pirates in 1947, his 2nd season in MLB.

• The previous record for most dollars awarded to a player who won an arbitration hearing was $8.2 million, by Andruw Jones (as a player with four years of service) in 2001.

• The previous record for highest salary in history by a player who was arbitration-eligible for the first time was $7.4 million — set by Miguel Cabrera after he won his case against the Marlins last year. But Cabrera had three-plus years of service at the time.

• Howard also tied Alfonso Soriano’s record for highest salary awarded to any player who went through an arbitration hearing. Soriano got $10 million two years ago from the Nationals. But he actually lost — in a bid for $12 million.

Phillies assistant general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said the team negotiated with Howard’s agent, Casey Close, about a contract “in a variety of lengths” as late as yesterday morning before the hearing at the Renaissance Vinoy Hotel in St. Petersburg. He said they thought they were close to a deal, but it’s uncertain how close.

“Close doesn’t get it done, though,” Amaro said.

It is believed reaching an agreement with Howard on a multiyear contract is going to be difficult. He could be seeking a contract far in excess of the seven-year, $100 million contract extension St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols received in 2004.

AP’s Maaddi adds these comments from Assistant GM Amaro Jr.;

“I’m sure he’s very pleased,” Phillies assistant general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. “This has been a negotiation that has been very amicable and very professional. It’s just a part of the process.”

Says his buddy Jimmy Rollins, it means he can afford that Aston Martin DB9 James Bond-mobile he’s had his eye on.

Suggested list price, in case you’re wondering: $168,000.

“Shoot,” Rollins laughed, “that’s two days salary for him now.”

Stark also provides an in-depth analysis of Why Howard won, what it means for both he and the Phillies and what it means for Major League Baseball as well as an illustration showing the impact of Howard’s production over his first 4 seasons in comparison with Mark McGwire, Willie Mays and others.

“It was some good news to start of the day,” Howard said after the team’s workout. “It’s a good feeling. It’s always a good feeling to win. But either way, it’s a win-win. It’s a substantial raise either way.”

Howard smiled easily as he talked on his cell phone outside the Phillies clubhouse. Teammate Jimmy Rollins gave him a high-five on his way back to his locker.

“He’s an impressive young man,” Schmidt said. “Tremendously impressive hands, good arm, good batting stroke. I think he’s going to be a big key for the club this year.”

“Just watching [Feliz] on TV, he caught my eye. I can see a good, solid fundamental hitter. I don’t know what his best year has been. I just know him as a mid-20s home run, 80-RBI guy. I don’t know if he’s ever gotten to 30 home runs or 100 RBIs, but he has that potential, without a doubt.”

In other spring training news, the punking of young pitcher Kyle Kendrick has received national notoriety. Brett Myers and Kendrick were guests on the “The Today Show.” After the hosts and guests shared guffaws about “The Trade”, Myers himself got “punked” of sorts.

Well, today’s the day of the Ryan Howard salary arbitration hearing, but noone’s talking.

Howard has been low-key, concentrating on getting into shape for a big season, having report to spring training 15 pounds lighter than his overweight status last season and feeling far better than he felt last year when his season was disrupted by a quad injury.

“We’re just going to have to wait and see what happens,” Howard said about his thorny arbitration case.

There are no indications that the Phillies are close to an agreement with Casey Close, Howard’s Beverly Hills-based agent, so barring an 11th-hour settlement, Howard’s 2008 salary will be decided by a three-person panel of arbitrators. And an army of Phillies fans, disguised as amateur psychologists, is wary of the effect a hearing may have on Howard’s psyche.

But regardless of what gets said with Howard present at the arbitration table when the Phillies make their case for paying him less than he wants, the 2006 National League MVP insists it won’t change how he approaches his job.

If Howard gets his $10 million, he will finally be on the positive side of the ledger book, and that will shift the responsibility for what follows to Howard.

If he proves he’s worth the $10 million and more in the years to come, that will mean the Phillies got another great season from him. That big long-term deal will not look at all risky.

If Howard has a dropoff in production, the Phillies have an interesting decision to make. They could continue to work toward a long-term deal on the good-faith assumption that Howard will be worth it over his career, or they could return to the arbitration process without looking like tightwads.

Lose tomorrow and the Phillies make their fans happy, appease a superstar player, and set themselves up for a better relationship with him for years – all for $3 million.

With spring training just underway, having started on the voluntary reporting date of February 14, the Phillies training camp is electric with excitement in anticipation of the beginning of the exhibition season in 8 days and the 2008 season beginning at the end of March.

On February 14, voluntary reporting day, the Phils made official that pitcher Kris Benson, who missed the 2007 season due to recovery from right shoulder rotator cuff surgery in March, 2007, had joined the fold.

Benson, who agreed to a minor-league contract, could make just over $5 million in salary, signing bonus and incentives based on time on the active roster, innings pitched, and starts should he make the roster.

Whenever he is fully recovered and in shape to join the starting rotation, I project him as at least the 4th starter in a rotation of lefthander Cole Hamels — chiropractor and all,Brett Myers,Kyle Kendrick with veteran 45 year old lefthander Jamie Moyer as the 5th starter. As for Adam Eaton, he was an unmitigated disaster last season with an astronomical 6.29 ERA. Hopefully Benson will be a vast improvement over Eaton’s 2007 performance although the Phillies hope for substantial improvement from Eaton as well.

In the meantime, with Ryan Howard’s salary arbitration hearing but a couple of days away, the big slugging first baseman is loosey-goosey despite a $3 million gap between his asking price of $10 million and the club’s offer of $7 million. On the third day of training, Howard was chipper while going through the exercise regiment and in brief conversations with the press. It’s noted that he reported for camp;

15 pounds lighter than last spring, spoke after his workout, in which he spent at least 30 minutes working on his defense.

Just how loose is this team? Check out this Yahoo story on the “trade” of second year starter Kyle Kendrick to Japan in a $1.5 million deal;

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick was shocked to learn that he’d been traded to the Yomiuri Giants in Japan for a player named “Kobayashi Iwamura.”

“I don’t know what to think right now,” he told reporters outside his locker shortly after getting the news from assistant general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.

Had he truly been thinking, he would have realized that such deals are prohibited. And with a little digging he could have found out that there is no Kobayashi Iwamura playing in Japan.

The “trade” was, in fact, a prank. The ruse was orchestrated by pitcher Brett Myers and was elaborate enough to include Amaro, manager Charlie Manuel, Kendrick’s agent, the media and others.

If you want to split your sides laughing, check out this YouTube footage of how this “trade” rouse went down. Imagine getting traded, as Myers said in the punchline, for Kobayashi — “for a hot dog eater.” Kendrick — punked indeed.Even reliever Tom Gordon reported to camp feeling substantially better than he had last spring.

Because of his shoulder problems and a respiratory infection, Gordon missed two months last season and pitched 40 innings.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said he planned to monitor Gordon’s use early so he remains strong through the season. The righthander thinks he will stay strong and hopes Manuel doesn’t nurse him along. He would rather pitch as often as possible.

Gordon used a new shoulder program over the winter to build strength.

“It’s really strenuous,” Gordon said. “I did a lot of work strengthening it. It should keep me away from things that caused me to get sore.”